Melting and drying machine



Oct. 28V, 1941. J. B. swEENEY 2,251,006

MELTING Anp DRYING MAcHmEJ' Filed Jul'y 11,' 1940l 2 sheets-sheet 1 Oct. 28, 1941. J. B. swEENEY MELTING AND DRYING MACHINE' Filed July 11, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan 57h/eww? Patented Oct. 2 8, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE 2,261,006 MELTING AND DRYING MACHINE John B. Sweeney, McKeesport, Pa.. Application July 11, 1940, Serial No. 344,994 I (C1. 137-12) 9 Claims.

This inventionrelates to a melting and drying machine and more particularly to a machine especially designed and adapted for use for clearing roadways and the like of snow and ice.

It is the particular aim of the invention to provide a device having means for' melting snow and ice, means including suction conveying means for removing the water from the melted snow and ice and means for brushing and wiping the surface to thereby remove the snow and to dry the surface over which the machine is passing.

' Still a further aim'of the invention is to provide a device capable of use for removing water from roadways or from airport runways and from the following description of the drawings, I

which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein.:

Figure 1 is a top plan Figure 2 is a side elevational View of the same, y`Figure 3isan enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantially along the plane of the line 3-3 of Figure l,

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially along the plane of the line 4-4 of Figure 1, and

Figure v5 is a cross sectional view of the brush and wiper blade. y A

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout-the different views, VII) 'designates generally a portion of a conventional motor vehicle on which' the apparatus,A

designated generally II, and comprising the invention is mounted.

Apparatus II includes'a heating device, desig# nated generallyI2, .which includes a container I3 having anopen bottom I4. The rear end of the container I3 is provided with arearwardlyex- `l"tending arm or arms I5 pivotally connected to an arm or arms I6, secured to and extending forwardly from the forward end of the truck I0.

The rear end-of the container I3 is supported view showing the ap` paratus mounted on a motor vehicle,

relatively to a surface indicated by the line I1 over which the apparatus II is adapted to be moved by means of wheels or casters I8.

A supporting frame I9 is mounted on the forward end of the vehicle I0. An arm is pivot? ally connected at one end to the upper end of the frame I9 and is provided at its opposite end with a depending hanger 2| which is pivotally connected, intermediate of its ends, thereto. The

ends of the hanger 2I are pivotally connected by means of the eye fastenings 22 to a forward end of the top of the container I3 for supporting the forward end of the heating device I2.

As best seen in Figures 3 and 4, the top wall,

Aside walls, and rear wall of the container I3 are provided'with space wall portions forming'air chambers 23 for insulating said walls.r The container I3 is provided with a frontwall 24 which terminates above the open bottom I4. rA door or closure 25 is hingedly connected at 26 to theY lower end of the wall 24 and depends therefrom to the open bottom I4. Door 25 extends from side to side of the container I3 and is held by gravity in' a depending, closed position, as seen in full lines in Figure 3. The hinge means 26 is slidably connected to the wall 24 for vertical `movement relatively thereto and the door 25 is adapted to be raised and lowered relatively to the open portion of the forward end` of the container I3 by means of a pulley 21 journaled in the upper ends of a pair of standards 28 which `are secured to and rise from' the forward end of the heating device' I2. A cable 29 is wound on' the pulley or reel 21 and is connected at its free end by means of an eye screw 30 to the door 25. A hand crank 3I is attached to the shaft of the reel 21 for winding and unwinding the cable 29 for raising and lowering, respectively, door25.

A burner plate 32 is supported in a' horizontal position in the container I3, intermediate of its top and bottom by means of brackets 33 which g are secured to the inner surfaces of the side walls thereof and also by means of bolts 34 which extend upwardly from the plate 32 through the top wall of the container I3. The upper,threaded endstof the bolts 34v are provided with adjusting nuts 35 by meansof which plate 32 maybe adjustedvertically relatively to thejcontalner I3.

A burner 36 is supported behind the containerf I3 by means of a plurality of eye screws 31 having the eyelets thereof engaging end portions of a manifold pipe ofthe burner 36. The upper,4

threaded ends of the eye screwsv 31 engage threaded openings in arms 38 which are secured to and project from the rear end of the consure from the jets 39.

tainer I3. Burner 36 is provided with a plurality of Jets 39 which extend through therear wall of the container I3 beneath the'burner plate 32.

A blade or shovel 40 is pivotally mounted behind and adjacent heating device I2 by means of brackets 4I which are secured to the forward end of the vehicle I0. lThe lower edge of the blade 40 may be adjustably positioned relatively to the surface I'I by means of a lever. 42 equipped with latch means 43 or may be held yieldably in engagement with the surface I1 by spring means 44.

Blade 40 is disposed transversely of the direction of movement of the vehicle III asis also a box or sump 45 which is `disposed therebehind. Box 45 is supported beneath the vehicle I0 by arms 46 which are preferably sufliciently resilient to permit the box 45 to yield to pass over uneven portions or humps on the surface I1. Box 45 is provided with an open rearwardly and downwardly inclined portion 41 in the lower part of yits front wall, which extends from end to end thereof and which is provided with a mesh wire fabric cover 48. 'I'he box 45 is provided with a recess '49 in its rear wall for receiving a pipe 50 which opens at I into the box 45. Recess 49 and pipe 50 extend substantially from end to end of the box 45.

A brush or broom 52 is mounted beneath the vehicle I0, intermediate of its ends, and extends substantially from side to side thereof and is disposed at an oblique angle to the direction of move- 3 ment of the vehicle. Brush 52 is supported by the nut and bolt fastenings 53 which are hung from the chassis of the vehicle I0. and which are provided with expansion coil springs 54 for yieldably holding the bristle portion' 55 of brush 52 engagement with surface I1. A rubber wiper blade 56 is disposed behind and substantially contiguous with the brush 52 and supportedby brackets 51 secured to the head of the brush and extending rearwardly therefrom.

A fuel tank 58 is mounted on vehicle Ill and is provided with a tube or hose 59 extending to the burner 36. internal combustion engine 60 is disposed between the fuel tank 58and the cab 6I of vehicle I 0. A suction pump 62 is mounted on one side of the motor 60 anda rotary blower 63 is mounted on the opposite sidethereoi. Pump 62 and blower 63 are con nected to and driven\by the driven shaft 64 of the motor 60. Blower 63 is connected with the fuel line 59 for supplying a charge of air thereto for atomizing the fuel discharged under pres- A hose or pipe 65 .leads from the pipe 5I) through the suction pump 62 and is supported at its opposite end by a frame 66 for discharging laterally of the vehicle lll.

An hydraulic pump 61 provided with a plurality of control valves, vnot shown, is mounted in the cab Iii.A A hose 68 leads from the pump 61 `toan hydraulic ram 69, connected at one end to the frame I9 and at its opposite end to the arm 26, intermediate of the ends thereof, for raising and lowering theforward end of the heating device I2. A hose or pipe 10 extends from the hydraulic pump 61 Ato 'an hydraulic ram 'II which is connected at one end to vehicle IIJ and at its opposite end to the broom y52 raising and lowering said broom and the wiper blade 56.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the burner 36 will heat the bottoni portion of container I3 for melting snow and ice which is moving through and beneath said heating device I2. 'Ihe burner plate 32 functions to control the volume of the heat and is adjustable for the purposeof varying the size of the portion of the container, beneath the plate 32, which is .heated by burner 36, to thereby regulate the volume of the heat. Door is adapted to be opened inwardly by the pressure of the snow and ice `causedby the forward movement of the vehicle I0 to admit the snow and ice to the bottom half of container I3. Where the accumulation of snow and ice is insuflicient to open the door 25 said door may be raised to an opened position by means of the reel 21, as heretofore explained. Where the snow andvice is too deep to pass under the burner plate 32, when in its lowered position, the heating device I2 may be raised to an upwardly inclined position by the ram 69,' as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 2. The water resulting from the snow and ice is removed, after having been melted by heating device I2, by being drawn by suction into the sump 45 through opening 41, and conveyed therefrom by the suction created bythe pump 62 through pipe 65 and discharged from the free end of said pipe laterally of the vehicle I0. Any unmelted snow or ice left on the surface I1 after theheating device I2 has passed thereover will be removed by the blade 40 and prevented thereby from reaching sump 45. The `path thus means, as described, is engaged thereafter by the l broom 52 for brushing any excess water to one vside thereof after which the blade 56 wipes the path so that the amount of moisture remaining thereon will be insufficient to freeze and cause a film of ice on the cleared path.

. Various modifications and Vchanges are contemplated and may obviously be vresorted to as only a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, and the right istherefore reserved to make such variations and changes in the construction and arrangement of the parts forming the invention as do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter l defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: 1. A device of the class described comprising a heating device mounted in -front of and supported by a motor vehicle for receiving and melting snow on a surface'over which the heating device is being moved,'an elongated box disposed behind and transversely of the heating device, said box having an open front, a conduit leading from said box and having a discharge end projecting laterally from; the vehicle, and a suction pump mounted on the vehicle for pumping water from the box through said conduit.

2.'A device as in claim 1, comprising a fuel tank mounted on the vehicle, a burner associated with said heating device, and a blower connected to the burner for atomizing the fuel.

` 3. A device as in claim l, comprisingl a broom disposed behind the box and at an oblique angle thereto, yieldable means for'urging the broom downwardlyand into engagement with said surface, and a rubber wiping blade disposed behind the broom for wiping the surface.

4. A device as in claim 1, said heating device comprising a container having an open bottom adapted to be disposed above and adjacent said surface, said container having a front door 5. A device as iny claim 1, comprising'a shovel connected to the vehicle and disposed between-V the heating device and box for scraping lthe sur.-

face to remove unmelted snow andice. 6. A device as in claim 1, said heating device being pivotally connected to the "forward end end of th'e heating device.

7. A device of the character described comf prising-in combination with a. motor vehicle,.a

sump suspended from the .vehicle and disposed of the vehicle, and hydraulic meansm'iorI supporting and for raising and lowering the fc'n'wardy y means heating adjacent a surface over which the vehicle is movl ing, suction conveyor means connected to said y sump for pumping water from the surface, means for heating the surface, and means for yieldablyA engaging the surface for brushing and wiping the excess moisture therefrom.

8. A device as in claim 7, said heating means including a bo'x having a heated bottom portion,

a hinged door for closingv the forward end of lthe l 3 bottom portion'of the box, said door being adapted to-be opened by thepressure of the snow when the device is moving in a forward direction, and

means for raising the door relatively to the box.

9. Mechanism for removing snow and ice from -a vhighway or othersurface, comprising a carrier structure adaptedto move over thesurface.` connected with the carrier Pstructure for` the surface to melt snow and ice therefrom, mechanism supported by the carrier bea hind said means for scooping up water and slush from the surface,l means for conveying theV scooped-up water and slush away from said mechanism.

' n y JOHN B. SWEENEY. 

